I’ve heard some of you are curious how I whip up these red carpet fashion & art parings. Well, I’m afraid there’s no trick to it. The main ingredient is patience. I start by selecting the red carpet looks that I find most “artful” (usually a mix of novel colors, patterns, and textures), then I search a few key sites and my saved pins for pair-able works of art. The magic happens when I compare a look and artwork side-by-side and the visual elements of each seem to sing the other’s praises. Like music to my. . . eyes.

With today’s set of awards season pairings culled from the 20th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, I feel like I’m getting into the swing of things. This post came together pretty quickly, for a change, thanks to not only a few of last night’s blue carpet celebrities who chose daring, beautiful, or just plain fun looks last night, but also my favorite websites that offer a steady supply of daring, beautiful, and just plain fun art for sale. In addition to my tried-and-true resources — Etsy, Mammoth & Co., Society6, Flickr, and ArtMgt, to name a few — I’ve added a few others to my arsenal, including 20X200, Tappan Collective, Buy Some Damn Art, Poster Cabaret, Sebastian Foster, Little Paper Planes, and Buy Olympia. So, if you’re in the market for some stellar creations to hang on your walls or gift to loved ones, peruse the variety of these well-curated collections or consider one of the pieces featured in this very Who Are You Pairing? series, which includes original artworks and more affordable prints. Then let me know which piece(s) you bought! I wanna see what you get!

But first, check out these pairs, which I’m kinda proud of. I tried to show a bit of diversity in the pairings (something sorely lacking in the Academy Award nominations announced yesterday), from strange and whimsical to bold and even humorous (I can’t help but laugh at Jared Leto sometimes). What do you think? Let me know which is your favorite in the comments. Better yet, if there was another look from the 2015 Critics’ Choice Awards that you liked best, put together your own pairing and show me with a link below!

So the other day we shared a simple chess pie recipe with you, but now it’s time to get down to business. Thanksgiving is here, and we need a thanksgiving pie. While pumpkin and sweet potato are certainly excellent choices, my favorite pie for thanksgiving (if not of all-time), is the apple pie. I’ve gone through numerous apple pie recipes, but I’m really liking this one from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking right now. Here I’m going to concentrate on the filling and not the crust as it seems everyone has their favorite crust recipe. However, we will do a write-up with some pictures at some point. We have to make a Christmas pie after all!

Apple Pie!

2 balls of pie dough for the top and bottom (chilled for at least 1 hr)

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

7 medium Granny Smith apples

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Laird’s Bonded apple brandy

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon raw sugar

Start with a lightly floured work surface. Unwrap one of your dough balls and plop it down on your work surface. Roll the thing out into a 12″ round. Transfer to a pie pan (I like to roll the thing around a rolling pin for easy transport, just make sure it is lightly floured). Carefully work the dough into your pie dish and fold the edges under themselves and crimp however you’d like (I’m not very good at this part, sigh). Wrap the pie pan up and freeze it for at least 2 hours (you can keep it in there for up to three months!).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the cornstarch and brown sugar in a bowl. Peel and core the apples and cut them into little 1/8″ wedges.

Heat the butter over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring occasionally until the butter begins to brown. Once the butter is browned evenly, dump in half of your apple wedges. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the apples are softened.

Add the remaining apples and the cornstarch/sugar mixture. Mix until the sugar has melted, then add vanilla, brandy, and cinnamon. Cook for 5 minutes or until the filling is thick and bubbly.

Dust a work surface with flour, Unwrap the second dough ball, and roll it out into a 12″ round.

Pour all of that yummy filling into your frozen pie crust, and top with the second dough round. Trim the dough, leaving about a 1/2″ overhang. Crimp the edges together, brush with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with raw sugar. Cut a few steam vents into the top crust.

Bake the pie until the filling starts bubbling and the crust is golden brown, about 1 hour. Cool the pie on a rack for 1 hour, and serve.

I have to say that I ran into a bit of a crust problem in my first apple pie attempt of the year, but this filling was resilient enough to make it the best apple pie ever!

Note that you will find yourself with a nearly full bottle of Laird’s bonded apple brandy after making this pie, and you may be wondering what on earth you can do with it. Here’s an option:

I’ve also experimented with subbing allspice dram for the grenadine, or using a combination. It helps punch up the holiday vibe. Definitely try it if you have some on hand. Also, please use good grenadine, preferably your own!